John J. Krezel

Funeral Mass for John Joseph Krezel, 90, of Virginia, formerly of Gilbert, will be 11am Friday, September 6, 2013 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Gilbert with Fr. Charles Flynn as celebrant. Visitation will be one hour prior to the mass at church. Burial with military honors accorded by the Gilbert VFW Post will be in the Gilbert Cemetery. Arrangements by Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Gilbert, MN. John died Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at Essentia Health - Virginia with his loving family by his side. John was born July 7, 1923 in Gilbert, MN to Anton and Frances (Civic) Krezel. Following his graduation from Gilbert High School, he was drafted into the US Navy and served in Australia and the Philippines during WWII. Following his military service, he married Mavis Pratt on March 12, 1949 in Gilbert and proudly lived there until recently. John began working in the Mary Ellen and Pioneer Mines prior to working at Erie Mining Company. He retired from there as a control operator in 1985. Following retirement, he and his wife enjoyed wintering in Las Vegas for many years. John was a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, the Gilbert VFW Post, Disabled American Veterans and the Steelworkers Union #4108. Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Mavis; daughters: Linda (Bill ) Larson of Eveleth and Colleen (Robert) Finc of Ely Lake; granddaughter, Shari (Paul) Undeland of Grand Rapids; grandsons: Chad (Danielle) Larson of Eveleth, Ryan (Katie) Finc of Esko, Jeff (Raia) Finc of Santa Barbara, CA and Trevor Finc of Maple Grove; great grandchildren: Hailey Undeland, Abby Undeland, Blake Larson, Brianna Larson, Elise Finc, Tyler Finc and Veronica Finc; several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and six siblings: Tony, Frank, Frances, Helen, Mary and Veronica.